10 best photoshop alternatives you can try out

If you think Adobe Photoshop is the only software you can use to edit and play with your pics around, so you might be wrong. There are several other best photoshop alternatives available in the market.

Though there is nothing in the market right now which can match Adobe brilliance in the photo editing schema, still there are many tools which can open photo editing option for you. Coming to Adobe Photoshop, it is a raster graphics editor developed by Adobe Systems. The software can edit and compose raster images in multiple layers and supports masks, alpha compositing and several models including RGB, CMYK, CIELAB, spot color, and duotone.

Moreover, it has vast support for graphics file formats but also uses its own PSD AND PSB file formats. Not only this, Adobe Photoshop has abilities to edit or render text, vector graphics, 3D graphics, and video.

But, the catch is that Adobe Photoshop is not available free and will cost a pretty nice amount which might hurt you.

Whether you can’t afford the subscription, there are several option open for you. But, you wo n’t get all the features that Photoshop CC offers. If you want to cherish those functions in Photoshop CC alternatives, we have created a list for you.

So, here is the list of best photoshop alternatives you can use to edit your images and try to have fun with same Adobe Photoshop brilliance.

Affinity Photo

Affinity Photo is one of the best photoshop alternatives available out there in the market. After the moment of its release, Serif’s Affinity Photo created a havoc in the photo editing industry. And, it became one of the best in no time.

When it comes to compatibility, Affinity Photo is quite compatible with Photoshop and other file formats. Moreover, it aims at professional photographers, designers, and editors. Affinity Photo is for those who don’t want to empty their pockets.

Affinity Photo’s creators claim that it is better, with higher speed and doesn’t lag much because it has fewer crashes and unlimited undos.

Initially released on MacOS, Affinity Photo is now available on Windows and now it is available on iPad too. One of the best alternatives of Adobe Photoshop, Affinity Photo will charge you around $50 bucks and is worth checking out in the market.

Sketch

The sketch is surely one of the best photoshop alternatives available out there in the market. It is a vector graphics app for creatives, designers and editors. When it comes to popularity, Sketch has gathered enormous popularity within the designers and editors community.

Sketch uses a simpler UI sharing features similar to the Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. The feature includes layers, gradients, color picker, and style presets. Moreover, there are also loads of community created Sketch plugins to extend the functionalities.

With the flexibility Sketch offers, the tool offers perfect vector shapes and infinite zooming experience in multiple resolution devices. Moreover, you can build new graphic from basic shapes like circle, triangle and more and give a new start with a Vector or Pencil tool.

The sketch is one of my favorite and unarguable one of the best Photoshop alternatives out there. There’s a thing you don’t like about it- Sketch is only available at MacOS platform. The sketch is not available at the Windows platform and you will regret it surely. Coming over it, Sketch will cost you a subscription of $99 per year and you can also try Sketch for free from here.

GIMP

The best thing about this one of the best photoshop alternatives is that GIMP is available at all the platforms- Linux, Windows and macOS.

GIMP is a free, open-source software that’s been in the market for many years now. GIMP stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program.

The software offers plenty of tools similar to Adobe Photoshop and if you are looking for something free- GIMP is a way to go. Though the UI is different from Photoshop, it still provides a version which is same as Adobe’s look and feels.

Coming to the features it offers, GIMP gives you a glimpse of painting tools, color correction, cloning, selection, and enhancement. To ensure the compatibility, the creative team has worked pretty hard to give you the best experience.

GIMP also integrates an inbuilt file manager similar to Adobe Bridge, in a nutshell, GIMP is a pretty good option if you have a limited budget. So, if you are looking for something great in no cost, GIMP is unarguably one of the best photoshop alternatives to do the job.

Pixelmator Pro

This software is another alternative to Photoshop which can promise you a great toolset of features. Pixelmator is there in the market for quite a long time but since the release

of its Pro version, Pixelmator has outshined its competitors in every aspect. Though Pixelmator used to have a floating window, Pixelmator Pro, on the other hand, has more usable single-window UI, offers non-destructive image editing and more.

Coming to the UI, Pixelmator Pro offers probably the best interface to get your hands on. Moreover, it gives you a hidden interface which you can activate to see and play with your image or photo with no distractions.

Again it also gets a thumbs down, when it comes to the availability on different platforms. Pixelmator Pro is only available on MacOs and is not available at other OS platforms like Linux and Windows. The Pro version of Pixelmator will cost you $60 and in return will give you a great offering i.e faster workflow than the Adobe Photoshop.

So, if you are looking for something new and simpler, Pixelmator Pro is undoubtedly one of the best photoshop alternatives you can shoot and play with.

Pixlr

Pixlr is a free Photoshop alternative with more than 600 effects, overlays, and borders available. The app also lets you do things which you expect from a basic photo editor. From red-eying to whitening teeth, from cropping to resizing, Pixlr lets you do all those things easy and peezy.

Coming to the interface, Pixlr has a simple and basic UI and you can pick up with it easily. The app is free on both iOS and Android. Moreover, it acts like a web app on PC which is completely free to use.

So, if you are looking for something simple which can do all the work you need to do, Pixlr is one of the best photoshop alternatives to go for.

Corel PHOTO-PAINT

Under the CorelDRAW Graphics Suite, PHOTO-PAINT is a dedicated photo editor which is a peer competition of Adobe Photoshop. The updated 2018 version offers Corel AfterShot 3 HDR support and interactive tools for straightening photos and adjusting perspective. Moreover, there’s also better stylus control, PHOTO-PAINT responding to different pressures, bearing tilt and rotation.

Corel PHOTO-PAINT is available on Windows. And, with the newest update of Window, it works perfectly fine offering multi-monitor viewing and support for 4K displays. You can buy Corel PHOTO-PAINT with entire CorelDRAW Graphics Suite for $600 bucks. You can also try the Corel PHOTO-PAINT for free from here.

So, if you looking for classic cult photo editing tool, Corel PHOTO-PAINT is surely one of the best photoshop alternatives available out there.

Paint.net

Paint.net is not entirely a photoshop alternative but a Paint editor alternative which used to be provided by Microsoft Windows. If you are thinking about its features and capabilities, you will be surely surprised knowing what the tool can do.

Starting off with it, Paint.net is only available at Windows and is completely free of charge. The software came to life as a Microsoft sponsored undergraduate project and now it has become an open source project.

The software is completely easy to use but the catch is that it provides more of the editing stuff than artistic creations. Moreover, there is a big range of special effects available which will allow you to create fake perspective, blend and push pixels around the canvas, tile, repeat selections and more. Basically, it’s a very well rounded tool for image editing even though it’s not as powerful as Photoshop can be when used properly.

The tool provides a good range of selection tools, support for layers, and adjustments such as curves and brightness and contrast. Paint.net is a great tool to roam with when you are more inclined towards photo editing and is one of the best photoshop alternatives present out there.

SumoPaint

If you are looking for something highly capable to edit your image, SumoPaint can do the job for you. SumoPaint is a free browser-based image editor which offers all the standard feature any other desktop tool offers. This tool is not heavy and its free version is highly in demand and usable too. SumoPaint also has its Pro version which will loosen your pockets a bit costing $4/month.

The software offers tools like brushes, pencils, shapes, text, cloning, gradients etc from the Photoshop-esque floating toolbar. It can also open saved docs from you HDD, SSD which makes SunoPaint more versatile for editing and reediting. There are also quite a lot of effects and filters that Sumopaint brings to the table — these should prove enough for most photo editing needs.

Though it is a browser and iPad tool, you might struggle for a desktop app or something. But, still, with its high capabilities to satisfy its customers, SumoPaint makes a spot in the list of the best photoshop alternatives.

Acorn

Acord came back in 2007 and since then it has become a useful tool in the list of designers and editors. Though the tool is only available on macOS, you might feel low about it.

It is still a great budgeted software which can act as one of the best photoshop alternatives. The software brings features like layer styles, non-destructive filters, curves, and levels, blending modes and more.

Moreover, the new features like new Scale and Transform options, ability to use the Clone tool across layers or images and the capabilities to use emoji on a path. These features are crazy and cool at the same time and if you are looking for something such amazing- Acorn is a sure shot. It will cost you around $30 and give a beautiful and amazing experience.

PicMonkey

If you think Pixlr and SumoPaint are way to old school for you, just try your hands on PicMonkey then. The tool completely work online and is easy to use irrespective of your operating system. Whether Linux, Windows or Mac OS, PicMonkey never trouble any of its users.

The software tool brings features like support for layers, a font-rich text tool and what not. Though it is not as feature rich as Adobe Photoshop, still it will not disappoint you in any sense. There are also a bunch of filters and effects that you might find useful. Sometimes, PicMonkey tends to work slow which can go against it but it is still worth it.

Moreover, PicMonkey needs a pro subscription, unless you have it, you won’t be able to export your images.

Here we come to an end of the best photoshop alternatives list which you can use to have fun with your images and pics. In case we have forgotten to mention any name, you can tell us about it in the comments section below.

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